


Well Deserved Rest

by Nerdstablook13



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Big Brother Jack, Family, Gen, Sickfic, Worried newsies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-06-27 17:12:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15689793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdstablook13/pseuds/Nerdstablook13
Summary: It had been about a week since the strike ended and Crutchie had returned from the refuge. When the fellas first saw him, he seemed pretty beaten up and his limp seemed worse then usual but still his happy perky self. As the days went on, he seemed to grow quieter and less like himself.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve had this idea for a while of sick/hurt Crutchie after being beaten and starved after the refuge and honestly I really like what I’ve got. (I just love seeing my faves in pain and if you’re reading my stories you probably do too) so I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much I did writing it! (Oof long notes I’ll stop now)

It had been about a week since the strike ended and Crutchie had returned from the refuge. When the fellas first saw him, he seemed pretty beaten up and his limp seemed worse then usual but still his happy perky self. As the days went on, he seemed to grow quieter and less like himself. Of course Crutchie being Crutchie, he just smiled and told the fellas not to worry about it when ever they asked him. 

“Its just a head cold or somethin, I’m fine. It’ll be gone in a few days.” He said. “It’s nothin, really.” When any of the fellas offered to help him, he denied them reassuring them he could do it himself insisting nothing was really wrong. All the boys knew that Crutchie would always ask for help if he needed it but this time he said nothing when it was clear he should have. Jack wanted to believe that Crutchie was fine like he claimed but knowing what the refuge did to kids like him, he got pretty worried. However even when the two were alone, Crutchie still claimed that he was just tired, that was all. But when he started trying to hide a pained expression when walking, and was eating less everyday, all the newsies knew something was wrong with their brother. 

“Hey crutchie,” Race said. “Hows about we head over ta Jacobi’s restaurant after work to grab some supper? A couple of the fellas an’ me were gonna head over there we was wonderin’ if you’d come too.”

“Yeah sure, Race, sounds good.” Crutchie said sitting on a stair step not seeming fully there and looked rather tired but still smiled same as ever. “I just got a few more papes ta sell.” Crutchie’s expression suddenly dropped as he grabbed his bad leg wincing.

“Hey, you doin’ okay, Crutchie? Ya leg been botherin’ you?” Race said with concern as he tried to meet Crutchie’s gaze and took a step toward his friend but Crutchie quickly tensed and brushed him away.

“No..no its nothin, just crampin a little is all...guess it means rain today, eh? But I’m fine, Race, really.” Crutchie said a little too quickly forcing a laugh and smile as he straightened out his leg.

“Some food will do you some good. My treat.” Crutchie looked up at Race when he said that and stood up with some difficulty even for him.

“You don’t have to, Race, I wouldn’t ask ya to do that for me. I don’t got much of an appetite anyway.” Race only shrugged.

“I won a bet with Finch and Albert and made some extra cash, don’t sweat it kid, I gotcha.” Race said laughing, playfully punching Crutchie’s shoulder and sticking his cigar back in his mouth with a smile. Crutchie smiled at Race, thanked him and moved past him to finish selling his papers for the night. Race watched his friend limp off and couldn’t help but think of how much pain the kid must have been in. “What are ya tryin ta hide from us Crutchie.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crutchie’s been faking smiles and laughs for a week and finally reaches his limit and boy howdy does he need sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright laddies, this was my absolute favorite part to write and I hope you guys really enjoy it (also thank you so much for the reads on the first chapter it means a lot and I’m rambling ok I’ll let you read now)

An hour or so later, the fellas had arrived at Jacobi’s and were chowing down. Crutchie got a soup and a piece of bread and all the boys were relived to see he ate most of it. He was pretty quiet the whole time and almost seemed to force himself to eat it, but he did. After supper, Jack offered Crutchie up to his penthouse for the night to which Crutchie hesitated a moment but happily agreed. As they were walking, Jack walked slower than usual so Crutchie could keep up even in his sluggish state. They both stayed silent for a while and the only sound was Crutchie’s quiet panting and occasional wince of pain. Finally Crutchie spoke up.

“So did Race plan that or did you? Race don’t go around offerin free meals unless he gets somethin outta it’.” Jack turned to his friend who seemed flushed in the light of the setting sun. 

“Nothin gets passed ya does it, kid? It was his idea, thought it might get ya to eat somethin. He’s just been worried, we’re all worried about ya Crutchie. Ya ain’t been eatin’ right and ya limp seems real bad….we just need ya to be okay. You been wearin’ yourself out.”

The wind blew and Crutchie coughed and shivered a little even if it was a warm July night. “Alright, so I ain’t been feelin the best the past couple days. Haven’t had much of appetite either I guess. Just another thing to blame the refuge for. but I don’t wanna make you fellas worry about me, it takes more than a little cold to take me down, Jack.” Almost as if on cue, Crutchie started coughing and couldn’t stop. He was thrown into a harsh coughing fit that sounded all too painful to Jack. They made Crutchie’s chest ache and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. Jack quickly held onto his friend to keep him from doubling over and when the coughing finally stopped, Crutchie was left breathless and swaying. He felt his legs shaking and ready to give out and saw the ground begin to sway below him. 

“Crutchie? Hey, You okay there kid? Come on, talk ta me.” Jack franticly said holding tight to Crutchie’s shoulders and in return Crutchie loosely grasped Jack’s wrists. 

“Jack…I...I ain’t feelin so great…” Crutchie mumbled quietly.

“You aint lookin’ so great either kid.” Jack responded looking at Crutchie’s now very pale face covered in a thin layer of cold sweat.

”I think…I need to sit down for a minute.” Crutchie only stared at the swaying ground, moving his head too much only made the world spin faster. He held on tighter to Jack. Jack panicked but managed to half drag Crutchie to a nearby stair case and carefully set him down on a step with his crutch and sat next to him. Crutchie suddenly felt a deep chill run down his spine that made him shiver yet knew he must have been burning up on the outside. He leaned against Jack and closed his eyes for a moment taking a few deep, shaky breathes. Jack lifted Crutchie’s hat off and brushed away his bangs to feel his sweaty forehead and cussed to himself before putting the hat back on him.

“Ya burnin’ up kid, why didn’t ya just come to us.” Crutchie weakly adjusted his cap so he didn’t have to look at Jack’s concerned expression. “…m’ Sorry, Jack…” Crutchie’s voice was small and rough after coughing so much. His throat was left feeling raw and scratchy. He hugged himself tight. “I didn’t want you fellas worrying about me…” Crutchie hated feeling like he needed things done for him but right now his head was spinning so fast he could barely think for himself. Jack could feel the feverish heat and shivers of his friend against him and sighed.

“Look kid, I know what that refuge is like and how they treated them kids. I know what they put ya through, so just tell me what’s been goin on.” Jack wrapped an arm around Crutchie to try and keep the poor kid from shivering so bad. Crutchie took a deep breath and straightened up a little. When he finally got to stop and rest for a moment, he suddenly became aware of just how sore and aching his body was. Bruises, cuts, and scrapes covered his body with a pain that hadn’t faded since he got them. He had tried to brush off the pain for a while but now it was like everything was hitting him at once. He felt tired, feverish, weak, light-headed and just flat out miserable and wasn’t really sure how he made it through almost a week like this. 

“They wasn’t nice at the refuge Jack, they busted me up pretty good.” Crutchie spoke with a serious tone. It seemed so rare for him to use that tone that it almost scared Jack whenever he did. ”Everythin hurts, my head, my body, my bones, everythin. Race was askin before if my leg’s been botherin me an’ it has actually. I don’t think it’s broken or nothin, but it’s real sore an’ aches. Guess they don’t take kindly to crips over there. Don’t think I can walk much longer on it today, it just hurts too much.”

“How longs it been this bad?” Jack quietly interrupted adjusting his hold on Crutchie.

“I dunno...2 days maybe? Don’t remember...it just started gettin a little worse everyday I think...I dunno...” Crutchie paused to cough and rub his aching leg. 

“I’m just so tired, Jack. Guess not sleepin much will do that, huh?” Crutchie tried to give a small laugh but it only resulted in another cough. He got closer to Jack as he shivered before continuing. “I tried to get some sleep, I did, but I could never stay asleep. Just too sore I guess. It wore me down pretty quick.” Crutchie said rubbing his arms as he shivered more. “But I didn’t say anythin cause I don’t want the fellas thinkin I’m weak or nothin, I can take care of myself and don’t need everyone looking after me. I thought…I thought maybe I could just ignore it and sleep it off, it wasn’t this bad at first, honest, but then I couldn’t get much sleep and it kept gettin worse but I thought maybe I could keep goin like it was nothin, but now…” Crutchie trailed off. He closed his eyes again and slouched back against Jack, exhausted. “Now, everythin just hurts...an’ I’ve never been so tired before...or cold...” Jack could feel Crutchie’s shoulders tense. “Guess I really have been wearin myself out, huh?”

Jack tightened his grip on Crutchie. “Hey, it’ll be okay kid, hows about we skip the rooftop for tonight and just focus on gettin you to bed, yeah? We’ll go up some other time when ya feelin up to it.”

“After a few seconds, Crutchie nodded relaxing a bit and slowly straightened up again grabbing his crutch. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “Be a pal an’ help me up?” Jack helped Crutchie stand but once he stood, he swayed with a quiet grunt and practically fell in Jack’s arms. 

“Woah hey, you alright there, Crutch?” Jack said while holding onto Crutchie to keep him upright. 

“Yeah, just stood up too fast I guess.” Crutchie tried to let go of Jack but still felt dizzy and only ended up holding onto him tighter to keep from passing out. It wasn’t helping that his leg was hurting just by standing on it at this point either.

“How’s about I carry ya? it ain’t too far a walk and then you can rest for a while.”

Crutchie weakly pushed Jack away and steadied himself. “No one’s carryin me nowhere, Jack. I’m fine.” His tone was tired but stern. 

“Crutchie-“

“No, Jack. This is why I didn’t tell you fellas about my leg. I ain’t lettin no one carry me. You said it’s not too far from here, I’ll be fine.” Crutchie really didn’t have the energy to walk to the newsboys lodging house no matter how close it was but he couldn’t just let Jack carry him. Sure he always needed the crutch to walk and the pain of his leg right now wouldn’t let him walk very fast, but he could still move by himself well enough. If someone had to carry him, it made him feel weak and powerless. (even if that was practically how he felt at this point.) As long as he had his crutch, he always walked himself.

As Crutchie turned to start walking away, Jack gently held onto his shoulders keeping him in place before speaking in a gentle voice. “Kid, it ain’t just about ya leg, you’re exhausted an’ feverish, not ta mention how much pain you’ve been in these last few days. You look like you can barely walk two feet, let alone two blocks. Don’t push yourself an’ make it worse than it is.”

Crutchie turned around to Jack for a moment considering his option before waving the thought away. “I ain’t lettin the other boys see you carryin me like some weak little kid.”

“Not one of them boys ever thought you was weak for needin’ help, not one. All them fellas know you is tougher than most of em bum leg or not but still, every last one of us needs help at some point, so let me help how I can.”

“I made it this far haven’t I? I can walk the extra few steps myself.”

“Crutchie please...”

Crutchie sighed. Jack was stubborn but only because he wanted the best for all the newsies. They were a family and Jack wasn’t going to let one of his brothers suffer alone and there wasn’t much that could change his mind. Maybe it was his fever or exhaustion, but he gave in. “Fine Jack, I’m too tired to be arguin with ya right now. Ya win alright?” 

Jack smiled and helped Crutchie up on his back where he rested his head on Jack’s shoulder and closed his eyes yawning. “Really, ya don’t have to do this, Jack.” Even as he said it, Crutchie loosely wrapped his arms around Jack’s neck with no intention of moving anytime soon. 

“Don’t you worry about nothin. Just get some rest kid, you deserve it.” Jack spoke quietly and comfortingly. Crutchie only nodded in response. He hated to admit it, but it felt nice being carried back home just this once and rest his leg for a little. Pretty soon everything seemed fuzzy and distant and the only thing he could focus on was how Jack felt so warm when he felt so cold.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crutchie finally gets to bed and he couldn’t be more relieved

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well school starts tomorrow so I thought I’d post the next chapter while I still have a little bit of free time. Hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!

Crutchie wasn’t really sure when he had fallen asleep on the way back but the next thing he knew he was hearing faint murmurs around him. 

“Jack what happened?”

“Is he okay?”

“Crutchie..”

“whoah fellas, hold on,” Crutchie could tell that was Jack. “He’ll be fine, but he’s burnin up pretty bad.”

“Jack?…” Crutchie quietly asked trying to lift his head a little. “What’s goin on?”

“Hey Crutch, you’re awake. You passed out on the way here but we takin you to bed now, alright?” Crutchie was waking up a little more and saw they were in the foyer of the lodge house and they were surrounded by all the other newsies with concerned expressions.

“Yeah, but would ya stop lookin at me like that? I’m tired, not dyin, I’ll be fine fellas.” Crutchie’s voice was still small and rough, but it was enough for all the newsies to hear. 

“Race, you take his crutch and come with me, Albert, JoJo, go get a compress and some water and see if you can find the thermometer an’ cough syrup, we should still have some left in the cabinet.” Jack spoke to the other newsies quickly and sternly and the four boys set off. “Hold on tight to me, okay Crutchie?“ Crutchie coughed again which only reminded him how sore and dry his throat felt but did what he was asked. Race followed closely behind up the stairs and when the three reached the top, Crutchie spoke up again. 

“I’ll be fine from here, Jack. Could you let me down now?” Jack slowly let Crutchie down and held him up while Race handed him his crutch. Crutchie slowly limped over to his bedside drawer where he pulled out a white night shirt and sat on his bed. He quickly changed and got under the blanket. It felt good to finally crawl back in bed after a long and painful day but as he did so, Albert came in with a small bowl of water with a rag draping over the side and a glass of water and handed them both to Jack. 

Jack placed the bowl on the side table, sat at the the side the bed and held the glass out for Crutchie to drink. “Here kid.” Crutchie sat up and shakily took the glass in both hands taking small sips of water. The coolness helped to sooth his burning throat which he greatly appreciated. He handed the glass back to Jack as JoJo came in with a small mercury thermometer and a half empty bottle of cough syrup with a spoon. He handed the thermometer to Jack, left the syrup and spoon on the side table and left the room with a concerned glance at Crutchie. Crutchie took the thermometer and placed it in his mouth and watched as Jack filled the spoon with medicine and grabbed the water for him to take it with. when Crutchie took the thermometer out, he looked at the thin red line and frowned.

“Whats it say?” 

“102. Guess that explains why I feel like hell.” Crutchie gave a half hearted laugh but it only ended in more coughing. He felt so tired already and every cough took a little more out of him. He just wanted to sleep. 

“Here, take this,” Jack said holding the spoon for Crutchie to take. “It should help with ya cough and fever. It don’t taste great, but at least you’ll get some sleep.” Crutchie weakly took the spoon and swallowed the offensive tasting liquid. He was quickly handed the glass of water which he drank most of to get rid of the foul taste. 

Crutchie handed the glass back and lied down pulling the blanket to his neck as he shivered and coughed. Jack wet the small rag and wiped Crutchie’s feverish face. The rag felt cool and wonderful against his sweaty skin and he couldn’t help but crack a small smile. Some of the other newsies had started coming into the room to get ready for bed. Even though they tried to be quiet for Crutchie, it didn’t really matter because the poor kid was so tired he barely realized the boys who were filing into the room with looks of worry all for him. Jack damped the rag again and placed it on Crutchie’s forehead. 

“Some sleep will do ya some good, kid. we’ll be right here if ya need anythin.”

“Yeah…thanks…” Crutchie said absently rolling to his side and curled up shivering with his eyes closed tight. He was still so cold which only made him pull the blanket closer out of hopes it would warm him up enough that maybe he could get some shuteye but he knew he was too sore to even think of falling asleep anytime soon, warm or not. As someone crawled into the bunk above him, someone else crawled into the bunk with him and held him close.

“Ya gotta stop shakin so bad or ya never gonna get any sleep, Crutch.” It was Jack’s voice. Jack as almost always the one looking after and taking care of the boys when one of them was sick like an overprotective big brother and would even sleep with the younger boys when they were sick to keep them warm at night.

“Jack…you don’t need to…“

“Shhhh, get some sleep, Crutchie.” Crutchie didn’t have it in him to fight with Jack anymore, he just snuggled closer and let himself be held close. 

“Hey Jack?” Crutchie mumbled tiredly still shivering in Jack’s arms.

“Hm?”

“Do you still think about Santa Fe? You always made it sound so pretty. Like you was right there ta see it...so colorful an’ open... So different from New York streets...” Crutchie grabbed his bad leg as he tried to bite back a pained grunt and whimpers making him curl up tighter. “Always made me feel alittle better, ya know?...” His voice shaking as he whispered. The luscious green grass and fresh crops that grew in the crisp clean air that Jack used to describe Santa Fe always seemed to calm Crutchie and considering how he couldn’t sleep if he was focused on the pain, he needed something else to help lull him to sleep. 

Jack held Crutchie tighter and spoke in a hushed tone. “Yeah, I know. It’s hard to not think about it sometimes, I can still see the trees shakin in the gentle breeze when I close my eyes. Or a crystal clear view of the sunrise and sunset everyday with all its colors that just blend together so perfectly every time. Purple, red, yellow, pink, you name it, there in the sky like it was a paintin on a canvas.” Crutchie relaxed more as Jack went on and nodded in response a few times. He could imagine everything Jack said like a perfect picture painted in his mind. Before he knew it, Crutchie was fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I tried to write Jack and Crutchie’s relationship in a brotherly way but I feel like it could possibly be taken as romantic so see it as you will I guess


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crutchie Wakes up in the morning still exhausted and feverish. (AKA dis boi selling no papes today)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof high school tough, sorry for not posting anything in a while but I have had a lot of work and stress and excuses excuses. This chapter is relatively short but as always, I hope you enjoy it!

Thankfully for Crutchie, the medicine worked well enough and he was able to sleep through most of the night without coughing much and got almost a full nights sleep for the first time in a few weeks. He didn’t even stir when the morning bell rang or when Specs ran out earlier than anyone to get some bread and bring it back for Crutchie to eat later. It was only when the boys were getting ready for the day did he wake up. They tried to be quiet so not to wake him and just let him rest for the day but he still woke up anyway coughing before they left. Jack was the one to notice first and walked over to his bedside with a smile. “Hey there Crutch, how ya feelin?” 

“Hiya Jack,” Crutchie’s wasn’t fully awake but managed a half smile to his friend even if he felt like he couldn’t move his body enough to get out of bed if he tried. He was all too sore and stiff and wished sleep would pull him back under it’s sweet blissful embrace and take him away from his painful reality. He knew there was no way he could go selling papers feeling this bad and there was definitely no way Jack would let him even if he tried. He spoke slowly and barely above a whisper. “I still ain’t feelin so good, Jack.” Crutchie coughed hard which only hurt his sore throat and chest more than they already did but it proved his point. “Don’t think I’ll be useful for much today.” Crutchie looked almost disappointed he couldn’t go out selling papers but relieved it meant he didn’t have to drag an aching leg around with him all day that would have only gotten worse as the hours went on.

“You just rest for today, we’ll be back later.” Jack quickly helped Crutchie sit up and gave him another spoonful of medicine and water to wash it down. “Ya want anythin to eat?” Jack asked holding out the small bread loaf on a plate for his friend. Crutchie stared at the bread for a few seconds before looking down at his sheets.

“‘M not real hungry right now, Jack. Sorry...”

“A little somethin might help some.” Crutchie swallowed hard.

“‘M sorry Jack, I just can’t...”

“It’s alright Crutch, maybe later.” Jack set the plate back on the side table. He didn’t want to push the kid into doing anything he didn’t have the energy for right now. “Ya need anythin else before we head out?”

“Yeah, I need ya to do somethin for me, Jack.” Crutchie said with a straight face. It worried Jack for a moment.

“Just name it kid.”

“Think you could spot me a couple papes?” Crutchie cracked a weak smile and laugh causing Jack to smile back. The kid was sick, but he was tough, it was something Jack always admired about his friend. “But could I maybe get some more water? My throat’s real sore.”

Jack quickly brought a full glass of water for Crutchie who drank most of it and coughed as he lied back down curling into a tight ball again not bothering to readjust his blanket. Jack placed the back of his hand on Crutchie’s forehead cussing quietly again. 

“Still too warm. Maybe I should stay with ya kid, make sure that fever don’t spike any more. I ain’t likin the sound of that cough either.” Jack brought the blanket closer over Crutchie’s shoulder who glanced at him for a second.

”I’ll be fine Jack, all I’s gonna do is sleep...barely notice ya left... Besides, you gotta spot me some papes...’member?...” He quietly said as he began to drift off again griping the edge of the sheet over him. Jack rewet the small rag and draped it over Crutchie’s forehead, holding it there for a few seconds taking in a good look at his friend. Jack slowly pulled his hand back and sighed.

“G’night Crutch” was the last thing Crutchie heard before he was asleep again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even Kathrine is worried about Crutchie and doesn’t want to leave him alone all day sick and hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha bet you didn’t expect Kathrine to show up! ....unless you read the characters....or the summery....or this note....whoops...oh well, happy reading!

Some time later, Crutchie woke up to the sound of sweet humming but he wasn’t sure who it was from. He slowly blinked his eyes open and saw something pink sitting on Jack’s bed across from him. As he woke up, all his aches and pains from before were coming back to him and he let out a whimper of pain and curled up again wishing he was still asleep. The humming stopped. 

”Crutchie, are you okay? What’s wrong?” Crutchie uncurled a little and blinked a few more times to get a good look of who was standing in front of him. 

“Kathrine? What are you’s doin here?” Crutchie’s voice sounded so weak and harsh, it surprised even himself as he cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry I woke you up, Jack came by my place before and told me you weren’t feeling well, so I wanted to check up on you. Jack said it was fine as long as you were fine with it.” 

Crutchie slowly and painfully sat up with a smile. “Heh, not quite sure why you’d wanna stay with me today but ya welcome to I guess. I ain’t in the best mood, so don’t think I’d make very good company right now. Sorry bout that.”

“Kathrine smiled back warmly. I don’t mind, Crutchie, I just came to see if you needed anything.” Kathrine could read Crutchie’s pained look even if he tried to mask it with a smile as he listened to her talk. “It sounded like you were in pain before, are you okay? can I get you something or-?”

Crutchie only shook his head. “It’s nothin, just kinda sore is all, nothin much you could do.”

“Well, I brought you a few things that might make you feel a little better.” Kathrine turned to Jack’s bed where Crutchie saw a large brown bag and a few papers scattered with a pen now that he was awake and things weren’t so blurry. Kathrine opened the bag and pulled out a small worn red blanket. The color seemed a little faded but that was about it. “Jack said you had bad chills so I brought you an old blanket of mine, its a little worn but still in good condition.” Crutchie hadn’t realized he had been shivering this whole time until he felt another chill run down his spine and he rubbed his arms. Kathrine threw the blanket over Crutchie’s bed and smoothed it out. He felt much warmer and comfortable with the new blanket but he didn’t feel right about taking Kathrine’s things. 

“Look, it was real sweet of ya Kathrine, but I couldn’t-. “

Kathrine cut him off. “Jack said you might fight me on it, its an old blanket I never use anymore. If you don’t take it, I’ll just give it to another newsie... If you really don’t want it that is.”

Crutchie knew there was no point in arguing with Kathrine today. “I guess if ya put it like that, I’ll take it. Thanks.” Crutchie’s throat suddenly felt extremely dry and scratchy and a few small coughs quickly turned into harsh, painful sounding ones. Each cough felt like hell on his throat, like a burning pain that didn’t want to end. Kathrine rubbed his back until the coughs subsided and he fell back against his head board holding his burning throat and chest with his eyes closed, panting. 

“Really startin to hate this cough of mine…” Every word hurt to say. His voice sounded weak and hoarse. Crutchie then felt a gentle hand on his forehead and he opened his eyes enough to see Kathrine’s worried expression as she carefully pulled her hand back.

“You’re really burning up, Crutchie.”

“So I’ve heard...” Crutchie shot back with a voice that was quickly fading from him.

Kathrine started searching around the side table. “where’s the- ah, here it is.” Kathrine grabbed the thermometer and the glass of water and sat on the side of his bed. She handed the glass to Crutchie who took it gratefully and drank the rest of what was left in small sips before handing it back. Kathrine then traded him the glass for the thermometer which he placed in his mouth. He watched with heavy eyelids as Kathrine put the glass on the table and grab the small rag to the side of him and soak it in the small bowl of water. She took the rag and sat back down on the bed carefully taking the thermometer from him and read it. 

“101, what was it yesterday?” 

“102...Not much different... Haven’t had a fever that high in a while...” Crutchie closed his eyes again and wore a pained, tired expression. His posture seemed both tensed and exhausted. Kathrine placed the small rag against Crutchie’s cheek and he couldn’t help but lean into it. Kathrine watched as his expression immediately softened and his shoulders fell. It’s cool touch felt like a moment of relief against his burning face. He almost forgot about his aches for just a moment and he couldn’t have been more grateful for it.

“This should help some.” She said dabbing the cool compress to his face. “How about we get you something to eat, then you can sleep some more, okay? Crutchie had almost forgotten he hadn’t eaten yet and the thought snapped him back to reality. “You guys wouldn’t happen to have a stove would you?”

Crutchie rubbed his tired eyes. 

“Yeah...downstairs...end of the hall. Can’t miss it.” His voice was quiet and raspy but it was the best he could do. He felt overwhelmingly tired and dizzy and shakily lied back down. Kathrine rewet the small rag and placed it on his forehead and pulled up the blankets with a smile. “I’ll be right back then, you rest.” Crutchie weakly coughed and watched Kathrine grab a small container from her bag and the empty glass of water and head toward the stairs before he closed his eyes again. 

“Jus’ a few minutes,” he thought. “I’ll jus’ close my eyes for a few minutes…” And with that, he was asleep again


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guess who’s not dead! Haha yeah but here’s the next chapter of this stupid lil story of mine and as always I hope you all enjoy

Crutchie woke up again when he heard Kathrine coming back up the stairs and lifted his head to look at her and sneezed. 

“Ah, good, you’re awake.” Kathrine was holding a small steaming bowl and a glass of water. Crutchie carefully sat up again and Kathrine set the bowl in his lap. “It’s just some oatmeal with sugar. Jack said you didn’t have much of an appetite so I thought I’d bring something simple.”

“Oh, thank you, Kathrine, that was real sweet of you.” Having a hot meal in front of him made Crutchie kinda hungry and realize he really hadn’t had much of an appetite lately. (No wonder the fellas were worried about him.) He quickly ate the oatmeal and felt a little better having something in his stomach. 

“Hey Kathrine, could ya do me a favor and grab my crutch for me?” Kathrine looked from the crutch at the foot of the bed then to Crutchie with slight concern. “Relax, I’m walking ten feet to the bathroom, I ain’t goin far.” Kathrine handed the crutch over and Crutchie slowly got up. He was still sore but it felt good getting out of bed for a few minutes when he’d been stuck there all day. Yesterday he had wanted nothing more than to stay in bed and sleep for a week but after only a day if it, he was tired of sleeping. When he got back to bed he rested the crutch back where it was and sat on the bed and crawled back under the covers. He was tired, but not exhausted like how he had been.

“I’ll be over here if you need anything Crutchie.” Kathrine said pulling the blankets up for him. 

“Thanks, Kathrine, for helpin me out today and keepin me company. I really owe you one.” 

“As long as you’re feeling better, that enough for me.” Crutchie smiled back with a laugh and Kathrine went back and sat on Jack’s bed with her papers and pen in hand. Crutchie watched as she wrote, sometimes mouthing the words, making sure it sounded just right. 

“Whatcha writin about this week?” Crutchie asked.

Kathrine glanced over at him for a second before turning back to the paper. “Its just an article about one of the plays at miss Medda’s theater from the other night. Now that I’m back working for the sun, they have me writing these kinds of articles again. I guess don’t mind for now though, after all I do get to see a show for free so long as I talk about how great it was and with Medda as the star, it’s not hard to do.”

Crutchie smiled. “Any chance I could hear it?” Kathrine laughed. 

“It’s not all that interesting, you really want to hear it?” Kathrine asked looking up. Crutchie nodded with a stern look.

“Of course I do. Jack’s been talkin about you’s and ya writin non stop, I’s been wantin ta read a story by the famous Kathrine Plumber all week. Show me whatcha got, unless you ain’t all Jack says you is.”

Kathrine sighed with a smile and began reading and Crutchie listened and commented on a few things. The two continued to talk for a little while longer until Crutchie started growing quieter and quieter. Kathrine was quickly realizing it meant he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.

“You must still be pretty tired, Crutchie, I’ll be quiet so you can get some sleep, no humming I promise.” Kathrine said turning back to her papers but Crutchie only leaned back into his headboard shaking his head. 

“I don’t mind ya hummin. It’s soft, an’ quiet, and ya stories are real good too. kinda nice ta listen to actually...” Crutchie said quietly as he closed his eyes. His voice was small and almost raspy but there was something to it that sounded more like his happy perky self than anything Kathrine had heard out of him all day.

“Well, I guess I have another article I’ve been working on if you wanted to hear it.” Kathrine said glancing over at Crutchie who only smiled and nodded not bothering to open his eyes. Kathrine combed through a couple of her papers until she found the right article she had been working on and read the title. When she turned back to Crutchie she only found him lying down and asleep. She watched as he rolled onto his side with his back to Kathrine and pulled the blanket closer to him. “He insists I read and falls asleep before I even start,” Kathrine thought as she sighed and smiled. She quietly hummed as she continued to write for a little while longer just to keep an eye on Crutchie till the other newsies got back


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After some well deserved rest, (eheh get it it’s the- yeah you get it) Crutchie is finally starting to feel like himself again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow hey long time no see. Now I know it’s been a while (coughcough months cough) but at long last is the end of the story! Well as always, enjoy!

When Crutchie woke up again he saw Jack and Kathrine talking but they hadn’t noticed he was awake. Crutchie was actually feeling better than before when he woke up, he wasn’t as cold as he was and felt less tired. He guessed he had been sleeping for a while if Jack and the others were back already.

“The fellas an’ I owe ya one for watching over crutchie.” Jack said. 

“Oh please, I didn’t mind at all, he’s such a sweet kid, Jack.” Crutchie sneezed causing both heads turned to him.

“Mornin, Crutch, how ya feelin?” Jack asked feeling Crutchie’s forehead. “Ya don’t feel warm like ya did this mornin, and ya got some color back.” Crutchie laughed and sat up. 

“Yeah I’m feelin a lot better actually. Still a little sore but I’ll live.” He turned to Kathrine who was holding her bag, ready to leave. “Thanks again, for everythin.”

“You’re welcome, Crutchie, and besides, you helped me improve my article. I can’t thank you enough for that. You need anything else before I head out?”

“You’ve really done more than enough for me today.”

“Well I should be going then.“ she kissed Jack and waved bye to Crutchie. As she headed downstairs, Crutchie saw all the fellas huddled by the stairs watching him.

“You fellas can come in, I’m fine.” Crutchie said and was soon surrounded by the newsies who all looked relieved to see that Crutchie was doing better. 

“Hey Crutchie,” Jack said and Crutchie turned his head to him from the other boys. He was holding a small pouch out for Crutchie. “While we was out sellin, we each sold a few extra papes for ya and before ya say no, we ain’t takin a single penny back. We’re the reason you was at that refuge to begin with, we owe you more than just day’s pay for it. Crutchie wasn’t quite sure what to say. He turned to the rest of the fellas and they all shared the same pained, guilty expression. 

“Fellas, no, I don’t blame any of ya for what happened. There was a lot goin on, it ain’t ya fault. If anythin it was them Dalencys, they always lookin for trouble. It wasn’t all bad at that refuge ya know, it wasn’t great there but some of them fellas there were real nice. Some were around Les’s age, they was just as tough as them older fellas there. Them guards was rude but we made it out okay. Even got on the good side of some of them guards, guess they liked my personality.” Crutchie wore a cheeky smile and gave a laugh that somewhat comforted them all. “They was like us, looked after each other, helped when someone was down. I bet them kids could take Spot Conlin down if they tried.” Crutchie laughed again brightening the room with a much calmer tone. “I really appreciate ya fellas making a little extra for me today, thanks. Now could ya all stop staring at me like that? Its gettin old.”

“Hey Crutch, if ya feeling up to it, wanna come play cards with us for a little downstairs? Race spoke up from the middle of the boys holding a deck of cards. 

“Yeah sounds good, I’ve been stuck in bed all day like a lazy bum, I could use a little exercise.” Crutchie pulled back the covers and was handed his crutch. He winced a little when he stood and all the fellas had worried expressions again, a few ready to catch him if he fell. “Quit it with that look already, just a little stiff, it ain’t like it was before, trust me.” The pain really wasn’t as bad as it had been and was mostly sore from being in bed all day. It felt a little less sore as he walked and slowly and carefully made his way downstairs to their sitting area as the other fellas followed closely behind. Together they spent a few hours playing cards and telling stories like they did most nights and Crutchie laughed and talked right along with everyone else like nothing had happened. When it came time for bed, he was extremely tired again and his throat felt like a desert but knowing that his family had his back made him feel a lot better than he had been in a long time. Over the course of the next few days Crutchie was out selling Papes with the other fellows and while that nasty cough of his persisted for a few more days, Crutch was finally starting to feel like his old self again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to all of you who have read, I didn’t think this would get anywhere near 300 reads yet here we are well over that! I hope you enjoyed reading my stupid lil story as much as I did writing it (even if it took me months to put out the whole thing Oof)


End file.
